The decision of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to suspend consular services for Ukrainian men will not affect their refugee status in Germany. Ukrainians will be able to stay in Germany with an expired passport. This is stated in the response of the Berlin Senate to the request of DW, reports UNN.
Details
According to a representative of the Berlin Senate, in order to obtain or extend a temporary residence permit in Germany, it will not be necessary to have a valid passport - the main thing is that the German authorities have the opportunity to verify the person's identity.
The Senate representative emphasized that the right to stay in Germany and all related opportunities remain valid regardless of the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to temporarily suspend the provision of consular services abroad for Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60.
Moreover, if a Ukrainian embassy or consulate refuses to issue or renew a passport to a citizen of Ukraine solely on the grounds of his or her failure to complete military service, the Berlin State Office for Foreigners will issue him or her a travel document that replaces the passport for traveling abroad.
However, as the Senate representative added, this will be done only in exceptional cases, as the rules of stay of foreigners in Germany allow immigration authorities to issue German passport replacement documents to persons of military age if they can prove that they have good reasons for traveling.
Recall
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new applications for consular services from Ukrainian men aged 18-60 who are temporarily abroad due to the new law on military service and mobilization, which will come into force on May 18, 2024.